SkillPaks

Immediately after you enroll in the Foley-Belsaw Institute’s Professional Saw & tool Sharpening Career Program, you will receive your first SkillPak.  Each SkillPak contains all the course material you need to successfully complete each lesson.

Your SkillPaks are written by industry experts; professional sharpening technicians who understand the business, the techniques, and what it takes to be successful.

SkillPaks will arrive as needed, each containing about four lessons – sometimes more, sometimes less.  At the end of each lesson, you will find an exam or homework assignment.  Detailed instructions mean that each lesson assignment is easy to follow and complete. Exams contain 10 questions and you can always double check the lesson material prior to answering an exam question.  This means you always have the opportunity to review as you go.

After you have completed the final lesson in each SkillPak, you will send in the exam answer sheets and/or lesson card to your instructor.  Your instructor will check your work and issue a grade.  Once we have received your completed SkillPak, we will send you the next.

The Foley-Belsaw Professional Saw & Tool Sharpening Course consists of 10 SkillPaks and 40 lessons:

SkillPak 1
Lesson 1          What is a Circular Saw?
Lesson 2          Saw parts (Nomenclature)
Lesson 3          Basic Angles and Bevels
Lesson 4          Saw Set/Side Clearance

SkillPak 2
Lesson 5          Basic Types of Circular Saw Purposes
Lesson 6          Four-tooth and Raker Saws – Other Types of Circular Saws
Lesson 7          Additional Types of Circular Saws
Lesson 8          Dado Blades, Carbide Blades, and Friction Metal Cutting Devices

SkillPak 3
Lesson 9          Grinding Wheel Types / Truing and Dressing
Lesson 10        Shaping the Wheel / Grinding Wheel Facts
Lesson 11        Files – Types and Uses
Lesson 12        Basic Sharpening Procedures

SkillPak 4
Lesson 13        Basic Hand Sharpening Procedures – Combination Blades
Lesson 14        Basic Hand Sharpening Procedures – Crosscut Saws
Lesson 15        Basic Hand Sharpening Procedures – 4-Tooth and Raker saws
Lesson 16        Bevels, Angles, and Edges

SkillPak 5
Lesson 17        Scissors, Shears, and Snips
Lesson 18        Pinking Shears
Lesson 19        Knives
Lesson 20        Jointer and Planer Knives

SkillPak 6
Lesson 21        Chisel and Plane Blades
Lesson 22        Lawn an Garden Tools
Lesson 23        Axes, Hatchets, etc.
Lesson 24        Drills and Boring Tools

SkillPak 7
Lesson 25        Assembling the Sharp-All / Importance of Machine Sharpening
Lesson 26        Review – How a Circular Saw Works
Lesson 27        Review – Saw Parts (Nomenclature)
Lesson 28        Review – Basic Angles and Bevels

SkillPak 8
Lesson 29        Review – Saw Set / Side Clearance
Lesson 30        Review – Grinding Wheels (Truing/Shaping/Dressing)
Lesson 31        Review – Basic Sharpening Procedures
Lesson 32        Combination Saws – Machine Sharpening

SkillPak 9
Lesson 33        Cross-cut Saws – Machine Sharpening
Lesson 34        4-tooth and Raker Saws – Machine Sharpening
Lesson 35        Dado Saws – Machine Sharpening
Lesson 36        Edge Tool Grinding with Tool Holde /Scissors, Shears, Knives & Chisels

SkillPak 10      
Lesson 37        Edge Tool Grinding without the Tool Holder
Lesson 38        Sharpening with Special Attachments – Drills, Chains, Skates
Lesson 39        How to have a Successful saw and Tool Sharpening Business
Lesson 40        Course Review